


Street Rats

by Phoebe_Snow



Series: Perfection Never Looked So Good [28]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Developing Relationship, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Imagine your OTP, Inspired by Aladdin (1992), Intrigue, Once Upon A Time, Princess Natasha, Street Rats, meet cute, thief Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-15 06:43:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12315828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebe_Snow/pseuds/Phoebe_Snow
Summary: Natasha steals an apple from a street vender and runs into a fellow street rat named Steve.





	Street Rats

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The Jolly Roger](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+Jolly+Roger).



> Aladdin is the main inspiration for this fic, and I threw in a bit of my own personal headcanon, too. I plan to write a historical Romanogers fic in the near future, but for now, here's a taste of it.

* * *

 

"Stop, thief!"

Steve heard the sound of running footsteps from where he lie and he opened his eyes slowly. Someone must have stolen from Rumlow's apple cart again. He smirked. Good riddance. That man was a heartless bully whose prices were far too high for the common folk who lived on the outskirts of the palace walls.

There was more yelling and footsteps coming closer to his hideout. He swore under his breath and hoped that no one would come in. The building that he called his home was a bit dilapidated, but it was still a home. You couldn't be choosy when you had no money to live off on.

His musings were interrupted by a figure that dashed into his home. Steve's eyes widened and he stared at the intruder. To his surprise, it was a woman. She wore a long blue jacket that stopped at her calves and a hoodie that she had pulled up on her head. The look in her eyes was a pleading one and she darted her head towards the door. "Please, don't tell them I came in here."

Steve grunted and got up from where he'd been sitting to look out the window as the soldiers searched for a thief. "Let me guess. You stole an apple from Rumlow's cart?"

"How did you know that?"

"Because most people who steal from the market usually hit his cart. His prices are ridiculous."

"You're right." The girl gave him a curious look. "I ate it while I was running from the authorities. That Rumlow man is very unpleasant, even to the people who _do_ purchase apples from him. And he has terrible manners."

"That's for sure." Steve glanced at her. "Your clothes are too new. If you want to blend in as a street rat, you have to look the part. There's no tears or faded spots on your jacket and that white shirt you're wearing? It's clean and has a bit of embroidery on it. Probably one of your favourite shirts that you couldn't bear to leave behind when you ran away. Am I right?"

"...how did you know that?"

"I've got a nose for my own and the ones who don't belong."

She raised her eyebrow. "Is that your way of telling me to get out?"

"Never said that. I just think it's odd to see a rich girl on the streets. You looking for adventure or something?"

"No. I just needed a...change of scenery."

Steve laughed at that.

Angry voices sounded nearby, but luckily, they passed his home without storming through. In a few minutes, the soldiers were nowhere in sight.

Steve got up from his perch by the window and stood in front of the mystery girl. "Normally, girls don't look for a change of scenery out here. The outskirts of the city aren't safe and from the way you look, I doubt you'd make it very long." He cocked his head to the side. "You aren't one of Madame Frost's girls, are you?"

The pretty redhead flushed and raised her hand to strike Steve's cheek, but he caught her hand before she could hit her mark.

"How dare you! I would **never** sell my body for wages!"

"It was an honest question, princess, not an accusation. You don't have to get so upset over it. We all have to find work in some ways. I'm not saying that I advocate that kind of lifestyle, but living on the streets can be hard."

"Fine, but why did you call me princess?"

"Don't worry. It wasn't a pet name."

She looked worried and darted glances around as if she expected trouble. "No, no. I believe that, but why did you call me princess, though? Do I...look familiar to you?"

"Familiar?" Steve pursed his lips and looked at the curl of dark hair that framed her cheeks. "I've never seen anyone with hair as red as yours, man or woman..." Steve frowned at her expression. "Are you _supposed_ to be someone I should know? A famous celebrity or dignitary?"

"You could say that." She reached up to pull off her head covering, and Steve gaped when he suddenly realised who she was.

"You're King Nicholas' daughter, Natalia."

"The one and the same."

"Well, what are you doing out here among us common folk and stealing apples from street vendors? Did you want to walk on the wild side of life for a day or something?"

Natalia laughed and ran a hand through her curls. Steve pretended not to be affected by her lovely voice or how beautiful her face was when she curved those full lips into a smile.

"The wild side? That's funny, considering that I lived on the streets like you not too long ago."

"What? No way. I find that hard to believe and you're not from this part of the neighborhood. I know just about everyone here and you stick out like a sore thumb."

"That's true. Like you said before, I'm not properly dressed for this kind of living, but I was in a bit of a hurry to leave. However, in my country, I _was_ once a street urchin as well."

Steve stared at her, not sure whether to call her a liar or laugh in her face. Natalia could see the confusion on his face and decided to tell him her story.

"You see, King Nicholas found me on a royal visit to my country six years ago. He saved me from an awful group called the Red Room. They had been following me for weeks and kept approaching me to work for them, but I wasn't stupid. The people in their employ - if you want to call it that - are never seen or heard from again."

"What do they do?"

"I don't know. No outsiders are aware of what they do, only their own people. Father knew about them and he adopted me in order to get me away from them. He is also helping the king in my former country dismantle the Red Room organization, but it's all being done very quietly and discreetly."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you're out here instead of at the palace. These streets are dangerous and I'm pretty sure that you'd be safer among your own walls."

Natasha's lips curled up into a smile. "It's nice of you to be concerned, but I can handle myself."

"But your father? Isn't he worried sick about you?"

"Worried? No. He was actually the one to come up with this plan."

"...that's a new one."

"I'm telling you the truth. Honestly. Two nights ago, an assassin managed to sneak into my bed chambers and tried to murder me in my sleep. Luckily, I always sleep with a knife under my pillow - it's a habit I picked up from living on the streets - and I stabbed him before he could do it to me."

Steve rubbed his neck and blew out a low whistle. "So you're a fighter. That can work in your favor out here."

"My father said the same thing. And he was certain that the Red Room was sending agents to dispatch me because of who I am. Since he plays a crucial part in dismantling their entire organization, they want to discourage him from it by eliminating me."

Steve hardly knew what to think. Natasha's story was very thrilling and full of intrigue like one of those old adventure books he liked to read. It was definitely not made up either. The look in her eyes gave Steve the sense that she had been very burdened by this secret and telling him was a form of release for her. "That makes you a dangerous person to be around, then."

"The same could be said for you. It's obvious that you're a thief and that you regularly go out causing mischief for some of the street vendors, particularly that Rumlow person." Her eyes twinkled. "I've heard plenty of people talking about you quite a bit."

"What can I say? I'm a very popular guy."

"Some say that you're a menace."

"Then I guess you fit in perfectly with my company, _Natalia_ , but why did you come here?"

The way Steve said her name made her shudder. "I wanted to meet you for myself and decide if you could be trusted."

"And have you reached a conclusion?"

"Yes. You're suspicious of people and rightly so given the way you live, but you're a lot like me when I was on the streets. You're bold and you say what you think regardless of who you're talking to. You tend to be at the center of trouble, but it's rare that you cause it yourself because you're actually a good guy. I feel safe around you."

"That's a pretty grand adjective to affix with me."

"Well, you're a street urchin and I used to be one too. It makes sense that I'd feel safer with my own kind. We may be in different social standings now, but we share the same roots."

"That's true." Steve watched Natasha closely and thought for a moment. The house was pretty big with plenty of room for another person to live. He couldn't even remember what it was like to live with someone else in the same house, but a dormant part of him was yearning for the comfort of human companionship.

"You can stay here if that's what you want."

Natasha widened her eyes and she smiled tentatively. "Really?"

"Sure. There's plenty of space here and you're in need of accommodations. Besides, I doubt these Red Room people would think to look for you living in a house with a man."

"I agree." She kissed his cheek and those green eyes sparkled at him. "Thank you for letting me stay. I appreciate it."

"Of course. It's, uh, no problem." Steve cleared his throat and felt warmth on his cheeks. Briefly, he wondered what her lips would feel like on his own, but quickly dismissed it. Natalia was a princess and far above his station. Playing house with her wouldn't change that fact.

"We'll have to get you some bedding and extra clothes, but I know the best places to go where you can get good stuff for a decent price. Do you want to stay low for a while just in case those soldiers come through here again?"

"Definitely. I do need to rest. I ran quite a ways before coming here." Natasha slid to the ground and sighed, pulling her legs up to her stomach.

"I'm Steve by the way." He held his hand out to her and she shook it firmly.

"I like that name. You can call me Nat. It's what I went by before father adopted me and it suits me a lot better here than Natalia."

"Nat the street rat. Sounds good to me."

She chuckled. "Just keep it to yourself. I'd hate for people to start calling me that in public."

"Don't worry. I can keep a secret."

 


End file.
